Thoughts/Impressions On Our Roster After The Preseason.

2Mas · Post #1 » by **2Mas** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 6:23 pm

I'm on the trade machine, finding ways to get Brandon Bass on the Grizz (which seems like a perfect match to me) & taking on Nash's big expiring for scraps. So I do a couple trades & figure if we do this trade, we have no big man depth.

I've wanted Bass gone for a while due to the glut at the PF spot. Anthony is gone, Faverani is out for a while, Powell might make the team. We have 4 bigs in Sully KO Bass Zeller. If 1 goes down, we're hurting down low.

Is the want to trade Bass gone for you guys? I think it might be smart to just keep him. Him & Thornton are buddies & I really do enjoy the roster we have. Feel like the have good chemistry & yeah we're not gonna be good, but we're gonna be competitive.

I'd like to clear up some guard/wing glut too, but who goes? Wallace def not. Thornton maybe, but I really think he could help us out since we don't have a lot of players like him.

Now that we seen 8 games of these guys, is there anything you really want to happen to this roster? Cause I don't anymore. But maybe that's just me cause I get attached to the players lol.

rickrolled · Post #2 » by **rickrolled** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 6:31 pm

Most experts out there believes we're a rim protector away from being a top 3 team in the east, our team is as complete as it can get from position 1-4.

Just get Hibbert with the Clippers pick, plus a combination of our expirings.

Captain_Caveman · Post #3 » by **Captain_Caveman** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 6:43 pm

Role player farm club.

SichtingLives · Post #4 » by **SichtingLives** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 6:44 pm

Someone in the backcourt needs to showcase well in the first month or two....here's looking at you, Evan Turner and Marcus Thornton.

Edug27 · Post #5 » by **Edug27** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 6:47 pm

rickrolled wrote:Most experts out there believes we're a rim protector away from being a top 3 team in the east, our team is as complete as it can get from position 1-4.

Just get Hibbert with the Clippers pick, plus a combination of our expirings.

All depends on what kind of rim protector we get .. and it'll take a lot more than that to get Hibbert.

I'm a little more optimistic than I was prior to the preseason because I'm really starting to see Brad's system .. and I like what I'm seeing. Good ball movement and getting players open shots at the rim.

Although I do agree, we are probably one more solid All Star player away from being a top 4 East team. But so are a few other teams.

threrf23 · Post #6 » by **threrf23** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 6:56 pm

My thoughts, player by player:

KO - He seemed to be gaining momentum towards the end of last season, but from what I saw of the preseason I thought he looked the same as he did last year at this time. Even if his skills have improved, he didn't look natural, don't know if he was simply being too tentative or what.

Sully - as expected.

Bass - Mr. Irrelevant. A corner three doesn't boost him into relevancy.

Zeller - Some nights he looks like a quality center. Some nights he looks like he doesn't belong in the league.

Powell - I liked what I saw, in particular he showed nice defensive ability in limited minutes and more generally he simply looked like an NBA player to me. With a little bit of coaching, I am not sure that Zeller does anything that Powell can't do. I wouldn't mind seeing Zeller showcased and traded in favor of developing Powell.

Crash - He is surprisingly healthy for the time being. He is our only plus defender outside of the backcourt and he sets the right example and hustles, which makes him valuable when we are trying to win. He is actually the closest thing we have to a rim protector.

Evan Turner - He showed why he was a top 3 draft pick and he also showed why he ended up a cheap FA. I wonder whether he requires a starting role and a certain amount of touches to keep his head in the game and be effective.

Benzo - His first game back I thought he looked identical to how he looked all of last season. Played with energy and a smile, but it looked like he was going through the motions to earn a paycheck. If we could trade him for something of value I would be all over that. I think he views his contract year as next year.

James Young - this guy looks way better than I expected, showing flashes of good defense and passing and ballhandling. He turned 19 in August and looks like an NBA player. Could be really, really good in four years IMO.

Marcus Thornton - I might be the lone guy who was a little bit disappointed with what I saw from Thornton. It is partially because I had high expectations to begin with, partially because at times he looked like the chucker some give him credit for being. I mean he is Jamal Crawford esque at his worst, but I am not sure whether he can instinctively tell a good shot from a bad shot.

AB - still the same AB.

Marcus - I like the guy's poise and demeanor and he certainly had his moments. I feel confident that he will work out.

Pressey - the PG version of Tyler Zeller. On a given night he either looks like an undervalued, happy-to-have-him quality backup PG, and the next night he looks like trash. Nothing new

jmr07019 · Post #7 » by **jmr07019** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 6:59 pm

Bass for another player will only create a log jam at a different position b/c we're not getting a quality center for him. Best to just let the season play out and let guys expire and then we won't have such a minutes crunch.

hickfromfrenchlick · Post #8 » by **hickfromfrenchlick** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 6:59 pm

I think our shortest path to prosperity is turning the offensive load over to Sully. There's no reason he can't put up 20 and 12 and look good doing it. Then we flip him + assets for a stud who can partner up with Rondo. And then we get another star in here, by trading more assets (players, picks).

If that makes it sound like I'm looking past 2014, I am. I was encouraged by the preseason and I'll watch a lot of games this season, but it's not going to be pretty. (I do agree that we're a rim protector away from a decent record, but getting one is easier said than done.)

Players I am looking forward to watching: Sully, Rondo, KO, Smart, Green, Thornton, Young.

Turner started off the preseason great and then tailed off. I am cautiously optimistic. Like everyone else, I was disappointed by Zeller. I would think Bass and Thornton are gone at some point. I hope Bradley can do a little more offensively than shoot 3s.

rickrolled · Post #9 » by **rickrolled** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 7:02 pm

jmr07019 wrote:Bass for another player will only create a log jam at a different position b/c we're not getting a quality center for him. Best to just let the season play out and let guys expire and then we won't have such a minutes crunch.

a trade exception or pick isn't bad either for Bass..

2Mas · Post #10 » by **2Mas** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 7:10 pm

rickrolled wrote:Most experts out there believes we're a rim protector away from being a top 3 team in the east, our team is as complete as it can get from position 1-4.

Just get Hibbert with the Clippers pick, plus a combination of our expirings.

Where are you seeing that? I wish we'd get some respect, but I see more us finishing 13th than us being a rim protector away.

People have Orlando, Indiana finishing better than us smh.

I haven't seen a prediction with us higher than 12. Now I only have us 11th lol. but that's cause I think Det Atl Ny Bk battle it out. We're gonna be better than 80ppg Indiana, the very young magic, bucks & sixers.

ConstableGeneva · Post #11 » by **ConstableGeneva** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 7:10 pm

If by January, we're good enough to gun for the playoffs and make a trade for the ever-elusive defensive big, I'd like to keep all the vets (Green, Thornton, Bass) as much as possible. The trade could be centered around Olynyk and/or Young (plus picks) depending on the quality center we're getting back. We need those vets come playoff time (and they're all basically expiring anyway).

People keep saying there's too much overlap in personnel. I don't think so. Apart from Olynyk & Sully (who's the better defender, competitor, and overall offensive player), each of our main rotation players (or top 11 players) bring something different to the table. Rondo is Rondo. Bradley is your prototypical 3-and-D. Green is your main wing defender who can put up 30 points on any given night (aka once every 2 weeks). Thornton is your bench sparkplug on offense (who apparently can be encouraged to defend after all). Turner is your swiss army knife (and I fear, turnover machine). Bass is the consistent lunch pail guy with one reliable offensive weapon (hopefully two if he can harness that corner three). Wallace is the bringer of defensive energy off the bench (gonna enjoy any lineup with him and Smart in it). Zeller is our best roll big and rimrunner in transition (though I haven't seen this yet).

But if you have to make salaries match and won't be able to make a pick-heavy offer centered around Olynyk/Young (plus a bunch of our fringe guys), I'd include Bass. In the end though, everyone except Rondo is expendable for me if you're bringing in a second star.

rickrolled · Post #12 » by **rickrolled** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 7:14 pm

2Mas wrote:
rickrolled wrote:Most experts out there believes we're a rim protector away from being a top 3 team in the east, our team is as complete as it can get from position 1-4.

Just get Hibbert with the Clippers pick, plus a combination of our expirings.

Where are you seeing that? I wish we'd get some respect, but I see more us finishing 13th than us being a rim protector away.

People have Orlando, Indiana finishing better than us smh.

I haven't seen a prediction with us higher than 12. Now I only have us 11th lol. but that's cause I think Det Atl Ny Bk battle it out. We're gonna be better than 80ppg Indiana, the very young magic, bucks & sixers.

scalabrine said so the other day...we only need a steven adams or omer asik to fight for home court rather than fighting for a playoff spot. i'm sure there are 2-3 other that said we're only a center away from being contenders, but don't remember who atm.

shawn unkempt · Post #13 » by **shawn unkempt** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 7:31 pm

We're not much better off than we were last year. Lots of NBA caliber players but not a lot of quality talent. The only player I'm really expecting to emerge is Sullinger but even then we have to be somewhat skeptical that his body holds up through the whole season.

I think the biggest difference between this year and last will be our style of play. Ball movement looked really good in preseason but at the same time we have to be worried that the ball will stop once it's in Rondo's hands. If he buys in, we'll be much more entertaining at the very least.

So far all the additions (besides the rookies) have underwhelmed. Zeller at times look like summer league filler, Turner will drive us crazy with up and down play (Jeff Green 2.0), Thornton actually has impressed me but you have to feel like he doesn't have a future on this team.

I'll have to see more of Smart, Young and Powell before I have a good read on them. So far I like what I see, even if they are raw.

Post #14 » by **Slartibartfast** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 7:54 pm

Captain_Caveman wrote:Role player farm club.

Even Sully?

humblebum · Post #15 » by **humblebum** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 8:06 pm

It's en vogue to be overly negative.

This team has a chance to be rock solid. Rondo and Sullinger both have top three player on a contender ability and both are likely poised for big years.

You have a ROY candidate and a bunch of guys who are playoff rotation caliber guys.

Just gotta get decent play out of Olynyk and Zeller, even if it's mostly in the form of scoring rather than the thins you traditionally want to see out of the 5 spot.

Not overly optimistic about playoffs, but there's a strong chance this team will gel under Stevens and end up surprising a lot of people.

Post #16 » by **djFan71** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 8:46 pm

2Mas wrote:Now I only have us 11th lol. but that's cause I think Det Atl Ny Bk battle it out. We're gonna be better than 80ppg Indiana, the very young magic, bucks & sixers.

I agree. But, a good center could easily vault us over all of that riff-raff. I think you have tiers like:

Chicago, Cleveland
Washington, Toronto, Charlotte,
Detroit
Miami, Atlanta
Brooklyn, New York, Boston, Indiana
.
Milwaukee, Orlando
.
.
.
Philly

Injuries, trades could open up a shot for the Celtics to sneak in. Wade, Lopez, Stoudemire, Horford are all good bets to miss significant time. That could drop 4 teams below us right there and get us in the last spot.

I think it all depends on Rondo returning to form & Sully making the leap. They're our options for All-Star level talent. If either\both make it, the rest of the team is really solid NBA players throughout, so we could surprise. If they don't, we'll be down where most people are predicting.

Captain_Caveman · Post #17 » by **Captain_Caveman** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 9:07 pm

Slartibartfast wrote:
Captain_Caveman wrote:Role player farm club.

Even Sully?

Only guys on this team who have the potential to be top 3 players on a contending team are Rondo and Smart, IMO.

Captain_Caveman · Post #18 » by **Captain_Caveman** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 9:11 pm

3rd best in the East = 12th best in the NBA.

Post #19 » by **Slartibartfast** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 9:31 pm

Captain_Caveman wrote:
Slartibartfast wrote:
Captain_Caveman wrote:Role player farm club.

Even Sully?

Only guys on this team who have the potential to be top 3 players on a contending team are Rondo and Smart, IMO.

I think there's a pretty good tradition of PFs like Sully playing as the 3rd wheel on contenders - guys like Grant and Rodman for the Bulls, or Odom for the Lakers. With his range, 3rd option scoring ability and rebounding, he's a great guy to put next to two high usage scorers. Or as a Laimbeer/Rodman type cog for an ensemble team like the Pistons.

I guess I can see where you can identify those guys as role players based on the guys they were playing with, but they were stars in their own right.

bbd24 · Post #20 » by **bbd24** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 11:01 pm

*Love the draft picks. Excited to see both develop

*Love the scheme. Coach Stevens getting comfortable in this league is bad news for the East

*Ball movement. We haven't seen the ball move this way in a long time

*Defense. We're one rim protector away from being a top defensive team in the league. Even without, we're top 10

*Depth. A lot of players, who all have or will have defined rolls. Huge for guys like Thornton, Turner, Zeller

We're going to be better than a lot of people think, including the expectations of about 75% of this board.